UKRAINE
Digest
INDEPENDENCE DAY ISSUE
24 AUGUST 2014
PRICE OF INDEPENDENCE
National Day as reminder
STRUGGLE FOR HOPE
OVER FEAR
Labours on Ukraine-Russia
relationship
REVOLUTION
OF DIGNITY
Why the Ukrainian nation will
never be the same?
UKRAINE
Digest
Queen Elizabeth II wishes Ukrainians
good fortune and happiness
Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland wishes the good fortune and happiness of the people of Ukraine
on the occasion of the National Day of Ukraine celebrated on August 24. The
words of congratulation were sent to the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
“It gives me great pleasure to send Your Excellency my congratulations and warmest greetings on the celebration of your National Day, together with my best wishes for
the good fortune and happiness of the people of Ukraine in the coming year,” the letter
reads.
from the editor
We feel in our hearts, what it is
to struggle for independence
Sat, 23 Aug, Ukrainian National Flag Day
Flag raising Ceremony at the Ukrainian Embassy
10.00 – 10.20 am, 60 Holland Park
Prayer for those who perished their lives for Ukrainian
independence
10.30 am at the Volodymyr the Great’s statue,
79 Holland Park
Sun, 24 Aug, Independence Day
Ukrainian Community Gathering. Prayer for the heroes
of Ukraine, followed by the children’s concert
2.00 pm at the Volodymyr the Great’s statue,
79 Holland Park
There’s a little piece of Ukrainian history right in the Centre of
London: the statue of Prince Volodymyr.
Vladimir the Great - as he is known in the English speaking parts
of the world - was crucial - at the start of the Middle Ages - in making
Ukraine the modern Christian European country it is today.
Each year, at the end of August, Ukrainians and friends of Ukraine
gather at the statue in London to celebrate Ukraine’s Independence Day.
This weekend people will gather at Volodymyr’s monument again:
But this time the word ‘independence’ has far more significance. We
see with our eyes, and feel in our hearts, what it is to struggle for
independence.
23 years have passed since the Communist regime collapsed and
Ukraine proclaimed its independence.
In 1991, independence was taken for granted. Now than we have
to struggle to prove that Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state.
And - sadly - to fight for our freedom and liberty.
So this weekend isn’t just for Ukraine’s independence. It is dedicated
to the heroes who sacrificed their lives for a free and independent
Ukraine; to those who stand for its territorial integrity and to save its
people from terrorism and the Kremlin’s aggression.
I want to express my gratitude to all the friends of Ukraine for their
support in such difficult times and to thank those who contributed to
this issue.
So let us meet at the Volodymyr the Great’s statue
this weekend and show the world that freedom isn’t
just a word for Ukrainians. It is a way of life.
Oksana Kyzyma, Press Secretary of Ukrainian
Embassy in London
Together we overcome all difficulties
This weekend we pay tribute to the greatest achievement of Ukrainian
nation – an independent and free Ukrainian State. 23 years ago we affirmed
our right to be the masters in our own home.
We, the Ukrainians, take pride in the nation to which we have the honour to
belong to. Independence is our choice and it could not be different. We had enough
strength and unity to make that irreversible step. Thousands of Ukrainian heroes are
defending this choice today in the east of Ukraine with arms in hand.
From our great ancestors we have inherited spiritual strength and special Ukrainian identity, born out in glorious battles, exploits and patience of many generations.
Ukrainian Cossack State has passed on to us a firm conviction that everyone has
his rights and freedoms, and everybody has an honorary duty to defend them.
It was then, when our forefathers learnt the science of honour and dignity, equality
and democracy. All our subsequent history has attested that the longing for freedom
remains in the popular memory forever.
Through the centuries freedom-loving Ukrainians have upheld the right to their
statehood. It has never been easy. Only for the last 100 years Ukraine six times proclaimed its independence and five times lost it mainly because of the Russian aggression.
Independence is a spiritual symbol of our nation. It reminds us of what a glorious
ancestry we are the children. I believe, Ukrainians will overcome all the difficulties if
united. Together we can overpower any foe.
Andrii Kuzmenko, Ukraine’s Acting Ambassador
It is not the time to show weakness
As we begin to celebrate the 23rd Anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence, we
do so with mixed emotions.
Ukraine has gone through a tumultuous period in the last 12 months, dealing with
major political upheavals, serious financial problems as well as a raging and unnecessary war in the East of the country, started by pro–Russian separatists, financed and
armed by the Russian state.
For any country, dealing with one such crisis would be difficult, for Ukraine it has
been overwhelming.
But despite these difficulties, steady and positive progress is being made on the
political, economic and militarily fronts although there are still many challenges and
potential dangers ahead.
Ukraine has received and continuous to receive support and assistance from its
western allies, and the sanctions taken against Russia are beginning to have an effect.
However, now is not the time to show weakness or fracture especially within the EU,
which unfortunately is beginning to be seen.
Ukraine, as a nation and its people has a great deal to offer, but it needs continued
help.
The war will end and the economy arise. It will still take some time, but as a nation
we must look forward to better times which will not only benefit Ukraine but also its
friends on whom we can rely.
Glory to Ukraine, Glory to Its Heroes!
Zenko Lastovetskyj, President of Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain
Ukraine – a struggle for hope over fear
Independence for Ukraine is its true destiny.
Achieving that destiny may also liberate Russia from its tragic 20th century
history. Two countries bound together by geography and history are both victims
of the brutality of two world wars and a failed revolution ending in Stalin’s dictatorship.
Can this story change – yes of course it can! And I believe we are seeing the
beginnings of that change.
The rule of law, democracy and the fight against corruption provide a country
with the means to protect freedom and prosperity. It is never easy and it is never
won – and held – without struggle.
In Britain we watch and hope for the people of Ukraine and keep our eyes on
the future. The vital relationship between Russia and Ukraine can improve but only
with an independent Ukraine and a Russian government respecting that independence and recognising Ukraine as an equal partner in a fast changing world.
Good luck Ukraine!
Lord Soley of Hammersmith
Standing alongside Ukrainians for unity
Today, Ukraine is facing an historic battle for its very existence as it strives
to become a modern, democratic and progressive European state.
The Maidan revolution which I witnessed, represented the aspiration of a new
generation of young Ukrainians for democracy, equality and open and just government. Sadly many gave their lives for this ideal.
Ukraine is now confronted by the forces of Russian neo imperialism and by
those who would take Ukraine backwards to a past many would rather forget than
promote. The memories of the 6 million who were starved to death during Stalin’s
Holodomor and of the 12 million Ukrainians who died in the World War II are still
fresh in people‘s minds.
I am confident the Ukrainian people will come through this maelstrom of terror,
and the ideals of the Maidan and the Ukrainian people will overcome this adversity.
This year at the Durham Miners Gala I listened to the proclamation from
Ukrainian Miners Union leaders proclaiming the support of trades unions and
working people in Ukraine for a united Ukraine and I endorse this call. During this
years independence day I and many others Europeans, stand alongside the Ukrainian people in their struggle for justice, democracy and unity.
Mick Antoniw AM, Labour Member of the National Assembly for Wales
A LONG ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE
In XX century Ukraine six times proclaimed its independence and five times
lost it mainly because of the Russian aggression.
XIII
cent.
Mongol Empire invaded Kyivan Rus’, destroying numerous cities, including
Kyiv, which since IX century was its center.
1649
Ukrainian hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky founded the Hetmanate, officially
known as the Zaporizhian Host, in Central Ukraine.
1764
During the reign of Catherine II of Russia, the Cossack Hetmanate’s autonomy was progressively destroyed. After several earlier attempts, the office
of hetman was finally abolished by the Russian government.
1775
From a direct order from the Empress Catherine II, Russian artillery and
infantry surrounded the Sich, the administrative and military centre for Cossacks, and razed it to the ground.
Jan 22,
1918
The Ukrainian People’s Republic is the predecessor of modern Ukraine
that was declared at first as a part of the Russian Republic after the Russian
Revolution but then proclaimed its independence.
Mar 18,
1921
The Treaty of Riga between Poland, Soviet Russia (acting also on behalf of
Soviet Belarus) and Soviet Ukraine sealed the fate of the Ukrainian People’s
Republic.
1932-1933
Stalin’s Holodomor. 10 million Ukrainians killed in an orchestrated famine
in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.
1937
Stalin’s mass deportations. Mass executions and deportations as Stalin
launches purge against intellectuals.
1939 1945
World War II. Ukraine suffers terrible wartime devastation as Nazis occupy
the country. More than 5 million Ukrainians die fighting them.
1944
Stalin deports 200,000 Crimean Tatars to Siberia and Central Asia.
1954
Crimea is transferred to Ukraine. The economy of the peninsula was
destroyed by war and its native population was deported by Stalin.
Jul 16,
1990
Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky,
founder of the Hetmanate
Mykhailo Hrushevsky, head of
the Central Rada of the
Ukrainian People’s Republic
The Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine was adopted by the
recently elected parliament of Ukrainian SSR.
Aug 24,
1991
The Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine was adopted in the
aftermath of the coup attempt on 19 August, 1991 when conservative Communist leaders of the Soviet Union tried to restore central Communist party
control over the USSR.
Dec 1,
1991
Ukraine held its independence referendum, where 92.3 percent of the voters approved the Act of Declaration of Independence.
March
2014
Russia absorbed the Crimea after staging a military intervention in the
Autonomous Republic and the city of Sevastopol, administrative divisions of
Ukraine. The process caused much controversy and was viewed by many
world leaders, as well as NATO, as an illegal annexation of Ukrainian
territory.
Ukraine secedes Soviet Union.
Meeting at the Parliament,
Kyiv, August 24, 1991.
REVOLUTION OF DIGNITY
PROTEST THAT CHANGED THE NATION
The Revolution of Dignity marked
a new stage in the evolution of
Ukraine as an independent and
sovereign state.
A wave of demonstrations and civil
unrest in Ukraine began on the night
of 21 November 2013 with public protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv, demanding
closer European integration. The scope
of the protests expanded, with many
calls for the resignation of President
Viktor Yanukovych and his government.
Many protesters joined because
of the violent dispersal of protesters
on 30 November and a will to change
life in Ukraine. By 25 January 2014,
the protests had been fuelled by the
perception of widespread government
corruption, abuse of power, and viola-
tion of human rights in Ukraine.
From student demonstration in
response to suspension of the EU deal,
it turned into something far bigger.
It was about guiding Ukraine away
from its 200-year-long, deeply intertwined and painful relationship with
neighbouring Russia. It was about
standing up for basic human rights
to protest, speak and think freely and
to act peacefully without the threat of
punishment.
Yanukovych’s decision to abandon
negotiation on the Association Agreement with the EU in favour of political cover from Putin’s Russia could
not be tolerated by society. As result
of brutal attack by riot police against
demonstrators, intended to ‘clear’ the
main square of students, more people
flocked to Kyiv’s Maidan.
The inability of government to hear
their people turned out to be fatal for
the government itself. The revolution
was not just about getting rid of one
kleptocrat. It was a broader uprising
against a malevolent state which failed
in its basic tasks — a state in which the
government robbed the public rather
than served it, in which the courts covered up injustice rather than rectified
it, in which prosecutors perpetrated
crimes instead of investigating them.
The most important outcome of the
Revolution of Dignity is that Ukrainians are not afraid of the oppressive
regime any more, and are taking responsibility for their country into their
own hands. The adolescent expectation that a new leader would come
and produce a miracle is replaced by
the sober knowledge that no one but
Ukrainians can build Ukraine as they
want it to be.
We won’t stop until Ukraine is free
This Independence Day is a poignant reminder to us of a tragic year
for Ukraine, the worst in our independent history.
It won’t be a time of sadness
though, it will be a reminder to us all
of the strength of Ukrainian resolve,
the resolve that ensured the survival
of Ukraine over hundreds of turbulent
years as others tried to crush us, destroy our language, steal our history.
London Euromaidan is living proof
of the strength of the Ukrainian spirit.
Back in November 2013, we started
our protest against the c​ riminal ​
U​-turn on signing the EU Association
Agreement. ​Now, on 24 August 2014​​our 23rd Independence Day​,​​we are in
a state of war​. Who could have predicted the nightmare that was to come? As
our own Government began shooting
Ukrainians on the streets of Kyiv, our
own hearts bled.
London Euromaidan took a life
of its own as people needed a way to
express their anger and play their part.
We’ve organised hundreds of protests, we marched 10,000 people from
Marble Arch to the Russian embassy,
we held flashmobs, we boycotted Russian goods, we addressed the future
president of Ukraine outside Downing
Street where we stood day and night
for many cold winter months.
We’ve raised thousands of pounds
to support the under-resourced
Ukrainian army and we’ve been very
vocal in the UK and international
media about the many issues that have
brought about the conflict – from the
city of London’s relationships with oligarchs to the British Government’s lack
of action in honouring the Budapest
Memorandum.
We won’t stop until Ukraine is free,
genuinely independent and strong, until people there can vote in democratic
elections for uncorrupt Governments.
We’ll continue until the rule of law
and human-rights live up to European
standards.
London Euromaidan will only stop
when everyone from Donetsk to Lviv,
from Kyiv to Simferopol can once
again be proud to be Ukrainian and
celebrate Independence Day.
Chrystyna Chymera,
London Euromaidan